PRECOCITY A GUSHER FOR FAMED OILMAN OWNER FRANKS

Neil Milbert, Tribune Staff WriterCHICAGO TRIBUNE

When the sports fan who doesn't regularly follow thoroughbred racing thinks of horse owners, names such as Bob and Beverly Lewis and Mike Pegram are the most likely to come to mind because of their Triple Crown involvement.

Outside of racing, owner-breeder John Franks is an unknown in the sports world.

But inside of racing, the 74-year-old Louisiana oilman is a giant.

Franks has won an unprecedented four Eclipse Awards as North America's most outstanding thoroughbred owner--in 1983, 1984, 1993 and 1994. Seven times he has led owners in races won and five times in money won. In 1993 he was the leading money-winning owner with $5,682,786 and the leading breeder with 540 races won and $6,485,545 won.

Precocity is trained by Bobby Barnett, who spends spring and fall at Churchill Downs and summer and winter in Louisiana. The best-known member of his stable is Answer Lively, winner of last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile en route to becoming the champion 2-year-old.

Although Precocity has won no titles, the 5-year-old is an accomplished horse with nine triumphs in 31 career starts and a bankroll of more than $1.7 million. Last time out, in the Grade I $500,000 Pimlico Special, Precocity ran fourth behind photo-finishers Real Quiet and Free House.

"We were disappointed, especially when you consider Precocity had beaten Real Quiet earlier in the year," said Barnett, referring to the Grade III $534,000 New Orleans Handicap, a March race in which Precocity forced last year's Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner to settle for second.

Also in the field of nine is the third horse in the Pimlico Special, Fred Bear Claw, who set the pace as a 25-1 long shot in the 1 3/16-mile race before yielding in the stretch.

Projected as the 3-1 second choice in the 1 1/8-mile National Jockey Club, Fred Bear Claw will be ridden by Edgar Prado, another big name in the thoroughbred game who is a no-name to the typical American sports fan. The 22-year-old native of Peru was No. 1 in North America in victories in 1997 with 536 and last year with 470. During the last decade he has led Maryland jockeys in victories five years.

One of the most interesting contestants is Hawthorne-based Beboppin Baby, winner of graded stakes races in each of the last two years for owner Larry Karp and trainer Joe Kasperski. Beboppin Baby is running his second race in eight days after finishing a disappointing third against fellow Illinois-breds in the $75,000 Milwaukee Avenue Handicap.

Sulky scene: Saturday night's card at Balmoral Park will kick off the Department of Agriculture's $1 million four-race bonus series for 3-year-old pacers and trotters. The races for males are the $55,100 Cardinal Pace and the $52,600 Cardinal Trot. Fillies will compete in the $57,100 Violet Pace and the $50,600 Violet Trot. The series will continue this summer at the state fairs in Springfield and DuQuoin and end this fall at Balmoral.

Ideal Towne is the marquee horse in the Cardinal Pace. He's ranked No. 8 among North American harness horses and No. 1 among 3-year-olds after an impressive victory in the $300,000 Berry's Creek at the Meadowlands.

The filly pace will star Juxtaposition, last year's Orange and Blue filly winner who nearly won the $1 million bonus series, which requires winning three of the four designated events. If it hadn't been for a disqualification at Springfield, she would have taken three of four.